MaltaMedia.com

In 1610, the disappearance of the great Baroque painter Caravaggio was announced, and 400 years later, the body is still not found. However, four centuries after the disappearance of Caravaggio, researchers in Italian universities may have solved the mystery behind his death. This was reported on The Independent UK on Friday morning, as it investigates more into the case.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s death has always been a mystery. Some believe he died from malaria on a Tuscan beach, others believe he was killed by the Knights of Malta, while others would like to believe that he died in a hospital bed.

However, the body of this great artist was never found and various speculations over his death have been formed over time. Some base his death on his lifestyle, known for being a troublemaker and a man who often caused brawls and fights. The Independent described Caravaggio well as a “tempestuous and sexually ambiguous brawler with a conviction for murder”, a man who was hailed as a hero for his artistic skills, and an anti-hero for his lifestyle.

Researchers and investigators from the Italian universities of Ravenna and Bologna have prepared DNA tests on various bodies in a Tuscan tomb that are believed to carry the painter’s corpse.

Of all corpses tested, it has already been narrowed down to nine. These nine corpses have been sent to Ravenna where they will undergo carbon-dating. The bodies will be tested for malaria and typhoid, the two most common killer diseases present then, as well as indications of possible heavy metals present in oil paint.

Professor Giorgio Grupponi, a scientist part of the team leading the research, said: “We have carried out DNA tests on some individuals who have the same surname as Caravaggio, that is Merisi, whom we think could be genetically linked to the great painter. We’ll then compare their DNA with that of the remains.”

Silvano Vincenti is also a researcher taking part in this project. He is most famously known for reconstructing Dante Alighieri’s face by exhuming what was left of the medieval author.

The Independent reports of the Caravaggio-mania going on in Italy. A national committee has already been formed to co-ordinate celebrations should a DNA match be found.

Professor Rose Marie San Juan, an expert in Baroque painting at University College London, told The Independent, that Caravaggio was “the artist who’s come to mean the most to us in the last 30 years”.

“I think it’s because he’s so modern in many ways. His painting is so knowing. The way he tells familiar stories in unpredictable ways, without the moral black and white we saw before, really appeals to us.”